Life in my kitchen

Having spent the past three days eating very well in Saskatoon, on a ranch (where we had pitchfork fondue – yes, that’s exactly what it sounds like it is) and in some fab newrestaurants, I came home tired yet inspired to cook, yet wanting something simple and green.

Also, my spinach has gone to seed. Meaning I needed to come up with a way of using large quantities of it as I pulled out the entire garden to replant.

Also, I watered the spinach before coming to this conclusion, spattering it with mud in the process, and so I needed to swish the lot around in a big bowl of water in order to thoroughly clean it, and didn’t much feel like spinning it dry.

Also, if you are Calgarian or running with Calgarians this week, you could likely use a bowlful of greens to offset the effects of Stampede.

All good reasons, don’t you think? I wound up tossing in bits of other green things – a handful of fresh chives, which are growing in the old sink next to the tomatoes, and a couple garlic scapes, and a shake of frozen peas from the freezer. And onions, stock, a splash of cream. Salt. Soup is that easy.

These are garlic scapes – the big snakey green thing that grows out of the top of a growing garlic bulb. They are like intensely garlicky giant chives, kind of. They make great pesto.

A big handful of mint would have given it an entirely different character. Or cilantro. Or parsley. There are plenty of green growing things you could improv with here.

Spinach, Pea and Garlic Scape Soup

This soup would be fab with a swirl of crème fraîche, I think.

canola oil, for cooking
a big dab of butter
an onion, peeled and chopped
a couple garlic scapes, chopped
a handful of fresh chives
a salad bowl full of fresh spinach leaves
a heaping cup of frozen green peas
1 L chicken or veggie stock
salt
a splash of cream

In a large saucepan, heat a drizzle of oil with a dab of butter over medium-high heat. Cook the onion for a few minutes, until soft. Add the garlic scapes and tear in the chives, sprinkle with salt and cook for a few more minutes, until everything is soft.

Add the spinach and peas and cook until the spinach wilts. Add the stock and bring to a simmer; cook for 20 minutes, or until all the veggies are nice and soft.

Season with salt and add a splash of cream. Puree with a hand-held immersion blender (or transfer in batches to a regular blender) until smooth. Serve warm. Serves 4.

19 Responses to “Spinach, Pea and Garlic Scape Soup”

What a delectable colour this soup has. I imagine it would be very comforting to have a warm bowl right now after all the rain we’ve had. I’ve never seen garlic scapes on offer anywhere, supermarket or farmers’ market. Perhaps one has to grow their own garlic to get them? They have a gorgeous shape and curl to them. Glad you had a great time in Saskabush.

As much as I’m sure this would be delicious, I cannot do green soup. Must be a mental block from my childhood where I ate some sort of horrible mush pea soup. I will sit there and munch on a spinach salad and eat frozen peas straight from the bag in lieu.

Thanks. I didn’t even know what scapes were until my new project garlics grew them. This is a remarkably tasty recipe. I added a little bit more garlic and substituted a shallot for the onion because that’s what was around. It will be a spring staple around here from now on!!!

This soup was unbelievable. Delicious and easy. I found your recipe by an article via huffington post.
Thank you for the loveliness. I kept it Vegan and cannot wait to eat the chilled leftovers.
I might try to float a (gluten free?) crostini or earthy cracker on the top with a dollop of something.

[…] and stirring them into mashed potatoes or throwing them into soups and stews. (This recipe for spinach, pea, and garlic scape soup looks especially amazing.) You could also turn them into a bright green and flavorful pesto or […]